A man who spent the vast majority of his life in an iron lung after surviving polio as a child has died at the age of 78.
Paul Alexander - also known as 'Polio Paul' - was first put in an iron lung at six years old, and relied on the device for the rest of his life, which was obviously impacted as a result.
The news of his death was announced on a GoFundMe page that had been fundraising since November 2022 to cover the costs of Alexander's continuing care, accommodation and the maintenance of his increasingly archaic iron lung.
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The page is no longer accepting donations, and a statement was posted announcing the news. It said: "Paul Alexander, 'The Man in the Iron Lung', passed away yesterday. After surviving polio as a child, he lived over 70 years inside of an iron lung."
Confirming that he managed to live a pretty full life despite his restrictions, though, the page also said: "In this time Paul went to college, became a lawyer, and a published author. His story traveled wide and far, positively influencing people around the world. Paul was an incredible role model that will continue to be remembered."
The page's creator said that donations - which helped make Alexander's life less stressful over the past few years - were no longer being accepted, and the remaining money would go towards funeral costs. The page raised a total of $143,461 in its active time.
The news of Alexander's death hasn't come as a drastic surprise, sadly, since the end of February brought news that he had tested positive for Covid and been rushed to hospital, something his social media manager announced on his TikTok page.
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As the last major public social media post on Alexander's behalf, the post is now attracting a wave of tributes from fans and donors.
One wrote: "Rest In Peace Paul, thank you for making us smile. We love you", and another said: "Forever rest easy Paul Alexander, you were the most inspirational person I have had the enjoyment of following forever fly high".
It's clear that Alexander's ability to overcome his situation was an inspiration to many, demonstrating that despite being unable to move from the neck down, he could still make the most of his situation.
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Being able to study and qualify as a lawyer while living in an iron lung feels pretty incredible, and he managed that and more. In recent years, Alexander had become more famous than ever thanks to his TikTok account - which racked up 330.7K followers and featured videos where he answered questions about what life was like in an iron lung.